Affect and phenomenology of the Garabagh voice

Abstract

Mugham belongs to the transnational classical tradition maqamistan (Simms 2009), stretching from Xinjiang in north-west China to Mauritania in Africa. The maqam tradition in Azerbaijan, known as mugham, can be distinguished from other maqam branches by the particular timbre of the singer’s voice, which has been developed historically in the western region of Azerbaijan Garabagh. Indeed, the mountainous landscape of Garabagh is linked to a particular kind of xanəndə singing – Qarabağ səsi (the Garabagh voice) – one that has a wide range, brilliant virtuosity, and especially beautiful expressivity in the high register. In this article, I discuss the history of this voice, and argue that its power rests in its affective potential. I compare the powerful experience of the Garabagh voice before and after the Second Garabagh war in 2020, when the Garabagh lands previously occupied by Armenia were regained.